If a U.S. credit report lists a debt you don't owe, a balance you've already paid, or a payment that was reported incorrectly, dispute the exact entry with every bureau showing it. You may also dispute the information with the bank, lender, collector, or other company that supplied it.

Keep the dispute narrow. Identify the account or inquiry, explain what the report says, state what is correct, and attach proof. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) generally gives a bureau 30 days to investigate a dispute. In limited circumstances, the period can extend to 45 days. The process is for inaccurate or incomplete information; it isn't a way to remove accurate negative information just because it hurts your score.

These steps apply to U.S. consumer credit reports and are general information, not legal advice. The main reinvestigation rule appears in 15 U.S.C. section 1681i.

Check that the entry is actually wrong

A useful dispute points to a specific factual problem. Examples include:

• An account you never opened or that belongs to someone else
• A late payment reported for a month when you paid on time
• An incorrect balance, credit limit, account status, payment date, or other account detail
• A duplicate account
• An account reported as open after you closed it
• Personal information suggesting that your file was mixed with another person's
• A hard inquiry you don't recognize or did not authorize
• A delinquency date that appears to have been reset or re-aged
• Negative information that remains on the report beyond the period that applies to that type of item

The three reports won't necessarily match. Not every creditor reports to every bureau, and the bureaus may update an account on different dates. A difference between reports isn't automatically an error.

Accurate late payments, collections, charge-offs, and bankruptcies generally aren't removed through an accuracy dispute. Paying an accurate debt also doesn't necessarily require the entry to be deleted. Many negative accounts and late payments can generally be reported for up to seven years, while a bankruptcy can generally be reported for up to 10 years. Other types of information can follow different rules, so consider both the item and its reporting date.

Gather reports and proof before filing

Request your reports from AnnualCreditReport.com, the authorized source identified in the FTC's free credit report guidance. Federal law provides a free report from each nationwide bureau during each 12-month period. The official service may have additional access options, so check its current terms instead of relying on an old number or an unfamiliar website.

Review reports from:

• Equifax
• Experian
• TransUnion

Save a dated copy of each report you review. A credit-score screenshot usually won't show enough detail to support a dispute.

For each error, record:

• The creditor or furnisher's name
• The account number's last four digits, if shown
• The reported balance, status, and relevant dates
• The exact statement or code you believe is wrong
• What the report should say instead
• The documents that support your version
• A short timeline of payments, closure, identity theft, or other relevant events

Useful proof may include account statements, payment confirmations, bank records, creditor letters, account-closing records, or identity documents. If identity theft is involved, include an FTC identity theft report or police report when requested.

A simple working table can keep the submission focused:

Keep copies of everything you send. Don't mail original documents, and don't put a full Social Security number or complete account number in an unsecured email or message.

Choose the right recipient

You have two routes, and using one doesn't prevent you from using the other:

Send a separate dispute to every bureau that displays the error. A correction at Equifax does not automatically update an Experian or TransUnion file.

A direct dispute with the furnisher can help correct the company's records, but it shouldn't replace a bureau dispute when the problem appears on your credit report. Use the furnisher's address or online process designated for credit-report disputes rather than a general customer-service channel.

File with the bureau

You can usually submit a dispute online or by mail. Start with the bureau's current instructions:

• Equifax's dispute instructions
• Experian's dispute instructions
• TransUnion's dispute page

Online disputes

Online filing is convenient when your evidence is ready to upload. Select the exact account or inquiry, describe the factual error, and attach only documents that help prove that point. If one account has several separate errors, identify each one. Unrelated errors may be easier to track in separate disputes.

Before closing the session, save:

• The confirmation number
• A copy of your explanation
• The documents you uploaded
• Screenshots or a downloaded copy of the submission
• The expected response date

A request such as "remove this account" doesn't explain what is wrong. Say, for example, that the account was paid on a particular date, the report shows a later payment date, and you want the payment history corrected.

Disputes by mail

Mail may suit a dispute that needs a longer explanation or several attachments. Use the current address on the bureau's dispute page or on your report. Addresses copied from older articles may no longer be valid.

Include:

1. A signed letter identifying the disputed item
2. A copy of the relevant report page with the entry marked
3. Copies, not originals, of supporting documents
4. The identifying information required by the bureau's current instructions
5. A list of the documents enclosed

A trackable delivery service can help you document when the bureau received the package. Keep the receipt and a complete copy of the submission. A phone option may be available, but an online or written dispute usually gives you more room to explain the error and preserve a record of your evidence.

Sample credit report dispute letter

Customize the letter for the bureau receiving it. Keep the explanation factual and don't include more personal information than the bureau's instructions require.

[Full name]
[Current mailing address]
[Date]

[Credit bureau name]
[Current dispute address]

Re: Dispute of inaccurate information

I am disputing information on my credit report dated [report date]. The item is:

• Creditor: [name]
• Account ending: [last four digits]
• Reported information: [quote or describe the inaccurate entry]

The information is inaccurate because [explain the specific facts]. The correct information is [state the correction].

Please investigate this item and correct the report. If the information cannot be verified as accurate and complete, please delete or modify it as required by applicable law.

I have enclosed a copy of the report page with the item marked and copies of the following documents: [list documents]. Please send me the written results of your investigation and an updated report if the item is changed.

If you determine that the information is accurate, please provide the description of the procedure used to determine its accuracy and completeness, as permitted by the FCRA.

Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed name]

Know the dispute timeline

The usual sequence is:

1. Receipt: The bureau receives your online or written dispute.
2. Notice to the furnisher: The bureau generally sends the dispute and relevant information to the company that supplied the data within five business days.
3. Investigation: The bureau generally has 30 days to investigate. The period can extend to 45 days in certain FCRA-defined circumstances, including some cases where you provide additional relevant information during the initial investigation.
4. Results: The bureau generally sends the investigation results within five business days after completing the investigation.
5. Follow-up: Review the results and then check a fresh report to see whether the correction appeared.

The bureau may use information supplied by the furnisher when deciding whether an entry is accurate. A response marked "verified" doesn't necessarily answer every factual point, so compare the notice with your documents. If you send more relevant information during the initial investigation, record the date because it may affect the applicable deadline.

If the bureau denies the dispute

A "verified" result or no-change decision gives you information about the next step. Work through the response rather than immediately sending the same form again:

1. Read the results notice. Check whether the bureau made no change, corrected part of the entry, or deleted it.
2. Compare the explanation with your evidence. A wrong account number, overlooked document, or response about a different issue can reveal why the dispute failed.
3. Request more detail. Ask for the description of the procedure used to determine the item's accuracy and completeness, along with the furnisher's contact information.
4. Dispute with the furnisher. Send the relevant records through the company's designated dispute channel and explain why its information is incorrect.
5. Submit genuinely new information when available. Repeating an unsupported dispute can be treated as frivolous or irrelevant. If the bureau relies on that reason, it generally must tell you why and what information is needed to investigate.
6. Ask to add a statement of dispute. A short statement can put your position in the file, but it doesn't force deletion or guarantee a score change.
7. Escalate a continuing problem. Review USA.gov's credit report error guidance for current complaint information. If the issue continues and the facts may support a legal claim, consider speaking with a qualified consumer-law attorney.

Keep the original report, dispute, delivery confirmation, results notice, and follow-up correspondence together. A complaint alone won't automatically remove an account.

When the problem may be identity theft

An unfamiliar account could be identity theft, but check first whether it belongs to a joint account, a former creditor, or a company that uses a different name. If you still don't recognize it:

1. Report the suspected identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov and save the recovery plan.
2. Contact the business connected to the account and ask about its identity-theft dispute process.
3. Place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A freeze is free and stays in place until you ask the bureau to lift it.
4. Consider a fraud alert. An initial fraud alert is free, generally lasts one year, and can be requested from one bureau, which should notify the other two.
5. Dispute the fraudulent account with each bureau that lists it, attaching the identity theft report and any other requested proof.
6. Continue checking your reports and account statements for additional unauthorized activity.

The FTC's guidance on credit freezes and fraud alerts explains how the protections differ. A freeze can help limit new credit applications, but it doesn't correct an account that is already on your report.

Avoid these common mistakes

• Challenging an accurate account solely because it lowers your score
• Asking for "goodwill deletion" without identifying a factual error
• Sending one generic letter to all three bureaus
• Describing the situation at length without naming the account and requested correction
• Mailing original documents
• Using an old dispute address
• Failing to save confirmation numbers, copies, and delivery records
• Posting a full Social Security number or account number in an unsecured message
• Paying a company that promises to remove accurate negative information

Online and mailed disputes can both work. Choose the method that lets you explain the error, attach relevant proof, and show when the recipient received it.

Frequently asked questions

Should I dispute an error with all three bureaus?

Only file with the bureaus that show the error, but review all three reports. If the same incorrect entry appears on all of them, send a separate dispute to each bureau.

Can I remove accurate negative information?

Usually not through an accuracy dispute. You can challenge information that is wrong, incomplete, obsolete, or attributed to you incorrectly. Paying an accurate debt doesn't necessarily require its removal.

Will correcting an error raise my credit score?

It may, particularly if the correction changes a balance, payment history, or collection status. No score increase is guaranteed because scoring also considers the rest of your credit file.

What should I do first?

Download your current reports, choose one inaccurate line, gather the document that addresses that line, and submit a focused dispute through the bureau's current official process. Save the confirmation or delivery record before moving to the next item.